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Final family member sentenced in kidnapping

LAS CRUCES - The youngest of the three family members convicted of kidnapping a woman in Arkansas and taking her to Deming, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted at gunpoint, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces.

Final family member sentenced in kidnapping

LAS CRUCES - The youngest of the three family members convicted of kidnapping a woman in Arkansas and taking her to Deming, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted at gunpoint, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces.

Jessie A. Hopper Jr. of Deming was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his conviction on conspiracy, kidnapping and firearms charges. He will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

His father, Jessie Hopper, Sr., 55, had previously been sentenced to 30 years and six months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, following his conviction on conspiracy, kidnapping and firearms charges. His mother, Polly Hopper, 62, was sentenced to 24 years and three months, also followed by five years of supervised release. Both elected to go to trial, and were convicted in February 2015.

According to press reports at the time, the victim was Hopper Jr.’s estranged wife. He had contacted her and requested to see their two sons and have lunch with her. She agreed to the meeting, and when she got into a car with Hopper Jr., she was confronted by his father, according to New Mexico State Police reports. Polly Hopper was picked up moments later.

The woman had a sawed-off shotgun pulled on her, was handcuffed and driven to Deming. She was then held inside a bus on the Hopper’s property in the 4600 block of Red Mountain Way.

State police were able to locate her two days later through the ping on her cell phone. The woman told police she had been sexually assaulted by both the son and father.

The three Hoppers were arrested by New Mexico State Police on May 10, 2014. Local charges initially filed by the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office were dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.

They were then rearrested in June 2014, on a federal criminal complaint charging them with kidnapping and firearms charges. The indictment also charged Hopper Sr., and Hopper Jr., with brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, being felons in possession of firearms, and unlawfully possessing a sawed-off shotgun.

Hopper Jr., entered a guilty plea to the five charges against him on Nov. 21, 2014.

The Hoppers were prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders based primarily on their criminal histories for federal prosecution.